1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compatible optical pickup and a method of detecting the amount of light output by the compatible optical pickup.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, optical pickups have become more complicated, thereby requiring a large number of component parts to meet demands, such as, compatible adoption of various types of optical disks, an increase in multiple speeds, and the like.
However, recent optical pickups must also be compact and slim in consideration of a space limit partially due to the proliferation of portable terminals (e.g., notebook computers and the like). In order to meet the size constraints, recent optical pickups must reduce the number of component parts.
The minimization of the number and size of component parts included in an optical pickup is important for minimizing the manufacturing costs of the optical pickup, as well as simplifying the design of a base.
A typical optical pickup includes a separate front photodetector to monitor the amount of light output from a light source. Generally, the front photodetector is installed behind a cubic or plate-type beam splitter that the optical pickup uses as a light path converting device.
Typical optical pickups with separate front photodetectors have the following problems. First, since typical optical pickups include a large number of component parts, the manufacturing costs of the optical pickups are high. Second, since a base must have a space in which the front photodetectors are installed, the structure of the base is complex, causing a poor flow of liquid material for the base occuring during injection molding of the base. Hence, inferior molding frequently occurs, and the durability of the mold used in injection molding of the base decreases.